Bible Strands
Ezra 2:55
The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Hassophereth, the descendants of Peruda,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records a post-exilic census of returning exiles, listing households by familial and servile affiliation. The text functions as an administrative register without addressing a specific audience in this moment.
The words — בְּנֵי (benei) translates literally as "descendants" or "sons," appearing repeatedly to mark genealogical descent. עַבְדֵי שְׁלֹמֹה (avdei Shlomo) means "servants of Solomon," identifying a distinct class of royal or temple retainers.
The thread — This exact grouping reappears in Nehemiah 7:57 with the same naming sequence. The origin of these servants is established in 1 Kings 9:21, where Solomon conscripted the remaining Canaanite populations.
Why it lands — The record demands precise tracking of post-exilic community structure and preserved lineage. It requires a reader to recognize how historical continuity maintained covenant identity after displacement.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
The children of Solomon’s servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Peruda,
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 9:21 their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to devote to destruction—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day.
- Nehemiah 7:57 The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Sophereth, the descendants of Perida,